Earring construction



Feb. 26, 1952 J. CONTO ET AL EARRING CONSTRUCTION Filed July 28, 1948mil Ill

Patented F eb. 26, 1952 EARRING CONSTRUCTION James Conto and BenjaminAlstadt, New York, N. Y.

Application July 28, 1948, Serial No. 41,045

8 Claims. 1

The invention relates to an earring construction wherein decorative earornaments of different designs. and shapes may be detachably secured toan ear clasping means.

The main object of the invention is to provide an earring comprised ofseparable members, one of which is-an ear ornament having a fixed eye onthe underface thereof, and the other, an ear clasping device havingmeans associated therewith adapted to be detachably engaged by said eyeand means for resiliently holding the ornament in position with respectthereto when said eye is engaged by said engagin means.

A further object is to provide an earring construction comprised ofseparable members one of which is anear ornament having a decorativeouter face and an inner face having a fixed eye member mounted thereon,and the other an ear clasping device provided with means for detachablyengaging said eye, and a coiled spring for resiliently holding the earornament in position with respect thereto.

A further object is to provide an earring construction comprised of anear ornament consisting of a decorative button having a fixed eye memberon its under face, and an ear clasping device provided with means forengaging said eye member and with spring means for resiliently holdingthe button ornament in position with respect thereto.

A further object is to provide a novel construction of an ear claspingmeans for an earring ornament and which is provided with means fordetachably and resiliently holding an ear ornament with respect thereto.

A practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanyingdrawing and in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings- Figure l is a side elevational view of anearring construction embodying the features of the invention and showingthe same in its assembled form;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the parts of the constructionshown in disassembled relation;

Figure 3 is a side elevational sectional view of the earringconstruction in its assembled form;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the ear ornament used in theconstruction illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3;

v Figure 5 is a view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2 looking in thedirection of the arrows; and

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the earring construction with theornament member and the ear clasping member disassembled from eachother, and showing a different form of ear ornament member which may beused in the construction.

Referring in detail to the figures of the drawing, the earringconstruction shown in Figures 1 to 5, consists of an ear ornament I,comprised of a decorative button, of a type used on ladies wearingapparel, and is formed with a decorative outwardly curved face 2, and aninner flat face 3, having a depressed central portion 4 therein in whichis positioned an upwardly projecting shank 5, in the free end of whichis formed an eyelet.

The earring is also provided with an ear clasping member of ordinarydesign but modified in the manner hereinafter described. As. shown, theear clasping member has a U-shaped frame or support I, the inner arm 8of which has a bushing 9, provided at the upper end thereof with athreaded opening therethrough to receive a screw member Ill. The screwmember Ill is formed at one end with a rounded head I I which is adaptedto contact with the ear of the wearer when the earring is being worn.The other end of the screw member is provided with a knurled disc I2, bywhich the screw is manipulated. On the forward arm of the U-shapedsupport is secured a circular plate l3 having a depressed portion I4(see Figure 5) which is presented forwardly of the support. soldered orotherwise secured to said depressed portion I4, of said plate is one endof a coiled spring I5. The said spring is secured to said plate in suchmanner that a portion of the end thereof projects as a tongue memberacross the diameter of the plate as shown in Figure 5, and in detachedrelation thereto and is bent so that there is formed a hook portion I1and a curved free end I8.

The other end of the coiled spring I5 is formed with a conical or.tapered portion I9 and so that said tapered portion may be positioned inthe depressed portion 4, of the ear ornament shown in Figures 1 to 5,and so that it will be centered around the eye member or eyelet bearingshank 5.

The ear ornament shown in Figure 6, is formed with a flat inner face 22instead of a concave face, and with an eye member 20 positionedcentrally thereof, and with an outer curved face 2!.

In assembling the parts of the earring construction shown in Figures 1to 6, and so that it may be attached to the ear of a wearer there of,the tapered end I9 of the spring I5 of the ear clasping member is causedto be positioned with respect to the ear ornament I, and so that it willbe seated in the depressed portion 4 thereof and will encircle the eyemember 5. The spring is then depresseduntil the eye member 5 will bepositioned adjacent to the end I8 of that partof the spring which issoldered to the circular plate I3. The ear ornament member is thentilted sufficiently so that the eye member 5 thereof will become engagedby the end I8 of the spring and will become locked in the bent up hookportion H. The ear ornament will thus be secured to and supported by theear clasping member and will be resiliently held against the plate 13thereof by said spring.

With respect to the construction shown in- Figure 6, the same procedureis followed in assembling the ear ornament and the ear clasping meansexcept that the taperedportion I9 of the spring 15 is caused to beseated against the flat face 22 of the ear ornament and so that the eyemember is centrally positioned in said spring. Then the spring isdepressed and the eye member 20 is caused to be engaged by the end 18and the bent up hook portion I! of the spring at the point where thespring is attached to the plate I3.

While the ear ornaments illustrated in the drawing and above described,have been referred to as being decorative buttons of the type used onladies clothing, we do not wish to be restricted solely to the use ofear ornaments of such type in carrying out the objects of the invention,as it is obvious that any other type of ear ornament having an eyeattaching means secured to the rear face thereof may be used in theearring construction of the invention.

It will be seen from the above description that there is provided anovel and exceedingly simple earring construction which may be cheaplymanufactured and its parts readily and quickly assembled and securelyheld in an assembled condition. Also when it is desired to disassemblethe parts thereof, it is only necessary to slightly depress the springof the ear clasping member and then manipulate the ear ornament so as todisengage the eye member thereof from the end I8 of the spring I 5. Itis also apparent that various different designs of detachable ornamentalbuttons or other ornamental devices may be used as the ear ornaments andmay be resiliently held firmly in position on the ear by. the earclasping means.

What is claimed is:

1. An ear-clip construction of the character described comprising acircular plate'for lying against the external surface of a wearer's earlobe, an ear clasping' means carried by said plate to coact with oneside thereof for retaining the latter in said position against the earlobe, a tongue carried by said plate on the other side thereof, saidtongue having a hooked mid-portion positioned centrally of the lastmentioned plate side for releasably engaging an eye of an ornamentalbutton, and a helical compression spring carried by said plate andpositioned to extend from said other plate side with the axis of thespring passing substantially through said hooked mid-portion.

2. The ear clip construction as defined in claim 1 in which said helicalspring has a portion adjacent the plate of substantially uniform dia--metrical turns and terminates in a conical portion. 7

3. An earring construction of the character described comprising areleasable ear lobe gripping means having a plate and a clasp coactingwith one side of said plate for positioningagainst the external outerand inner surfaces of the ear lobe, respectively, an anchoring hookcarried in mid-portion of the other-side of said plate, a button-likemember having an ornamental front face and a centrally projecting eyeletshank extending from a r'eanside: thereof, saideyelet shank beingreleasably engaged with said anchoring hook forming an interconnectionbetween said plate and button-like member, and compression spring meansinterposed between said plate and shank rear side positioned to exerttension on said interconnection and to maintain the plate andbutton-like member in parallel relation.

4. An earring construction of the character described comprising a platefor lying against the external surface of an ear lobe of a wearer, anear clasping device carried by said plate to coact with one side thereoffor retaining the plate in said position against the ear lobe, a tonguemember carried by said plate on the other side thereof, said tonguehaving a hooked mid-portion positioned centrally of the last mentionedplate side, a button having anornamental front face and a shankprojecting centrally from a rear face thereof, said shank having aneyelet releasably engaging said tongue hooked mid-portion, and acompression spring interposed between said last mentioned plate side andbutton rear face to take up slack between the plate and the button.

5. An earring construction of the character described comprising a platefor lying in position against the external surface of an ear lobe of awearer, ear clamping means carried by said plate to coact with one sidethereof for retaining the plate in said position against the ear lobe, atongue member carried by said plate on the other side thereof, saidtongue having a hook mid-portion positioned centrally of the lastmentioned plate side, a button having an ornamental front face and ashank projecting centrally from a rear face thereof, said shank havingan eyelet releasably engaging said tongue hook mid-portion, and ahelical compression spring interposed between said last mentioned plateside and button rear face to maintain the plate and the button inparallel relation.

6. The earring construction, as defined in claim 5, in which the helicalspring has a portion adjacent the plate of substantially uniformdiametrical turns and terminates in a conical portion engaging thebutton.

7. In an earring construction of the character described, ear lobegripping means including a plate, an anchoring hook extending from oneside of said plate, and a helical compression spring carried on saidside projecting beyond said hook having an axis thereof passing throughsaid hook and an end thereof firmly secured to said plate to exertpressure on a button-like member having an eyelet shank when coupled tosaid anchoring hook.

8. The earring construction as defined in claim 7 in which the helicalcompression spring has a portion adjacent the plate of substantiallyuniform diametrical turns and terminates in a conical portion.

JAMES CONTO. BENJAMIN ALSTADT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 250,082 Lawrence Nov. 29, 1881766,435- Fitzgerald Aug. 2, 1904 1,515,997 Chappell Nov. 1c, 19242,433,711 Schober et a1 Dec; 30, 1947'

